'Disturbing' Message Leads to Easton School Evacuation

Easton Area High School was evacuated for the second time in a week Wednesday morning after a "disturbing" message showed up on a bathroom wall.

According to a letter posted on the district website, the high school was locked down and the evacuated at 10:50 a.m. as the result of a message written on a bathroom wall. Students returned to the building at 11:08 a.m.

Interim Superintendent John Reinhart said what was written on the wall was not a bomb threat, but it was a message that implied "some sort of destruction" would happen at the school.

"This was more of a disturbing message more than anything else," he said.

Palmer Township Police Chief Larry Palmer said the message made reference to "the school going up in flames."

According to the letter posted on the district's website, administrators are considering adding more security and closing off some bathrooms at the school. They're also trying to figure out how to make up the time the evacuations cost.

"This means that time could be taken from scheduled vacations or tacked on to the end of the school year," the letter said. "Anyone found guilty of causing such interruptions will be expelled from the high school."

Reinhart said expulsion has been a common punishment for making threats for the last decade or so.

Students were evacuated on Monday following a similar threat. Reinhart said there's nothing to indicate that threat or the message Wednesday were tied to the Sept. 11 anniversary.

Last year, the high school reported five bomb threats between January and April. Palmer said whoever called in the threats could be charged with making terroristic threats and/or risking a catastrophe.